Jennifer Wada at 01:51, 4 April 2006

2006-04-04T01:51:15Z

Jennifer Wada at 10:26, 8 March 2006

2006-03-08T10:26:08Z

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The elimination of the kapu did not
change existing societal relations:
The fact that the chiefs had
tested the patience of the gods
did not cost them the support of
the commoners;...The fall of the
kapu...was an incomplete
revolution. It left relations
between chiefs and commoners
more or less as they had been,
but changed relations between
chiefs, freeing each of them to
try his skill at amassing and
using political power in new
ways. 43/
Arrival of Missionaries
The first group of American
missionaries was sent by the American
Board of Commissioners for Foreign
Missions, an interdenominational body
whose members were primarily
Presbyterian and Congregational. 44/
This first mission consisted of four
Hawaiians who had been educated at the
Foreign Hission School, two ordained
ministers (Hiram Bingham of Vermont
and Asa Thurston of Massachusetts),
and several lay specialists (a farmer,
a printer, two teachers, and a
physician). The group was instructed
to take a broad view of its mission,
"to aim at nothing short of covering
the islands with 'fruitful fields and
pleasant dwellings, and schools and
churches.'" 45/
The Hawaii that the missionaries
saw when they arrived off the coast of
the island of Hawaii on March 30,
1820, was much changed from the Hawaii
first viewed by Captain Cook in 1778.
The Hawaiian Islands and people had
been irrevocably changed by contact
with traders, explorers, and foreign
residents. Demoralization was one
result of this contact. The Hawaiian
social order had been transformed--
kapu had been abolished, idols
destroyed, and the authority of the
priests was thrown in question. The
timing of the arrival of the missionaries
was auspicious. Acceptance was
assured when the powerful kuhina nui,
Kaahumanu, supported the missionary
endeavor.
The austere New England missionaries
introduced totally different
mores into Hawaiian society,
compounding the confusion and
disruption resulting from the
economic, political, and social
changes discussed above. Two
conflicting views are represented by
Hawaiian and missionary thinking:
The Hawaiians believed life was
to be lived here and now; the
men from colder climes insisted
that life on earth was merely
preparation for everlasting
life beyond. 46/ Even in this
life, the Hawaiian was not
usually trying to prove his
virtue, or improve his status;
to the New England
missionaries, life was a
continuous struggle for moral
and material self-improvement
to receive God's grace. To the
Hawaiian, the sharing of food,
hut, and woman came naturally;
the New Englanders maintained a
stern sense of privacy
concerning property and person.
Sex to Polynesians was pure
joy; to these haole, a grim and
burdensome necessity. Children
born in or out of wedlock
received the affection of the
Hawaiians, to Bingham and his
friends, bastards were
conceived in sin. 47/
The role of the missionaries in
Hawaii continues to be a complex and
controversial issue. Many native
Hawaiians still bear hostile feelings
against these people who "stole th*ir
land." 48/ Indeed, the acquisitions
of the missionaries and their
descendants in Hawaii became
extensive. When they first arrive-:.
the missionaries were prohibited fror
owning any land. This policy was
reversed m the 1840's to counteract
the "homeward current" of missionaries
who had been there for several years
and felt it was time to return to the
{{p|154}}

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-The elimination of the kapu did not
+The elimination of the <u>kapu</u> did not
 change existing societal relations:
 The fact that the chiefs had
-tested the patience of the gods
+:The fact that the chiefs had tested the patience of the gods did not cost them the support of the commoners;...The fall of the <u>kapu</u>...was an incomplete revolution. It left relations between chiefs and commoners more or less as they had been, but changed relations between chiefs, freeing each of them to try his skill at amassing and using political power in new ways. <u>43</u>/
 did not cost them the support of
-the commoners;...The fall of the
+===<u>Arrival of Missionaries</u>===
 kapu...was an incomplete
 The first group of American
 missionaries was sent by the American
@@ Line 20: / Line 11: @@
 Missions, an interdenominational body
 whose members were primarily
-Presbyterian and Congregational. 44/
+Presbyterian and Congregational. <u>44</u>/
 This first mission consisted of four
 Hawaiians who had been educated at the
-Foreign Hission School, two ordained
+Foreign Mission School, two ordained
 ministers (Hiram Bingham of Vermont
 and Asa Thurston of Massachusetts),
@@ Line 33: / Line 24: @@
 the islands with 'fruitful fields and
 pleasant dwellings, and schools and
-churches.'" 45/
+churches.'" <u>45</u>/
 The Hawaii that the missionaries
 saw when they arrived off the coast of
@@ Line 45: / Line 37: @@
 result of this contact. The Hawaiian
 social order had been transformed--
-kapu had been abolished, idols
+<u>kapu</u> had been abolished, idols
 destroyed, and the authority of the
 priests was thrown in question. The
 timing of the arrival of the missionaries
 was auspicious. Acceptance was
-assured when the powerful kuhina nui,
+assured when the powerful <u>kuhina nui</u>,
 Kaahumanu, supported the missionary
 endeavor.
 The austere New England missionaries
 introduced totally different
@@ Line 62: / Line 55: @@
 conflicting views are represented by
 Hawaiian and missionary thinking:
 The Hawaiians believed life was
-to be lived here and now; the
+:The Hawaiians believed life was to be lived here and now; the men from colder climes insisted that life on earth was merely preparation for everlasting life beyond. <u>46</u>/ Even in this life, the Hawaiian was not usually trying to prove his virtue, or improve his status; to the New England missionaries, life was a continuous struggle for moral and material self-improvement to receive God's grace. To the Hawaiian, the sharing of food, hut, and woman came naturally; the New Englanders maintained a stern sense of privacy concerning property and person. Sex to Polynesians was pure joy; to these <u>haole</u>, a grim and burdensome necessity. Children born in or out of wedlock received the affection of the Hawaiians, to Bingham and his friends, bastards were conceived in sin. <u>47</u>/
 men from colder climes insisted
 The role of the missionaries in
 Hawaii continues to be a complex and
 controversial issue. Many native
 Hawaiians still bear hostile feelings
-against these people who "stole th*ir
+against these people who "stole their
-land." 48/ Indeed, the acquisitions
+land." <u>48</u>/ Indeed, the acquisitions
 of the missionaries and their
 descendants in Hawaii became
-extensive. When they first arrive-:.
+extensive. When they first arrived,
-the missionaries were prohibited fror
+the missionaries were prohibited from
 owning any land. This policy was
 reversed m the 1840's to counteract

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Jennifer Wada at 01:51, 4 April 2006

Jennifer Wada at 10:26, 8 March 2006